Maharashtra police on Friday expressed reservations about holding the second edition of the Indian Premier League alongside the general elections, citing the state’s security constraints.

The state’s police chief said it won’t be possible to provide security for the event while elections were on.

“It’s not possible to provide security to IPL when elections are on, IPL will put a strain on our forces,” said the Maharashtra DGP.

The IPL is currently scheduled for April, its dates clashing with the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the country.

The DGP further said that the tournament should be held after the elections are over.

“IPL should be postponed till after elections,” he said.

Meanwhile, IPL sources told NDTV that the new schedule might be out by the weekend and some Maharashtra venues could be dropped.

On Thursday, Maharashtra and Karnataka sent their feedback to the Home Ministry on the new fixture giving a virtual go-ahead for the cash-rich Twenty20 event. Andhra Pradesh has also given its nod except for one match, official sources said. AP Police said they don’t have any problem in providing security cover to the Indian Premier League matches in Hyderabad from April 26 onwards.

Earlier, Union Home Minster P Chidambaram on Wednesday said a decision on the fate of the second edition of the Indian Premier League would be taken soon after the Ministry received feedback from the concerned state governments on the revised schedule.

Desperate to get the cash-rich league on track, the IPL’s top brass held a series of meetings since Monday and submitted a reworked schedule to the Home Ministry on Tuesday. The new schedule is said to have taken into account the reservations and security constraints of the states that are supposed to host the matches.
Source – cricket.ndtv.com